Where can you watch a big Peeps Chick drop on New Year's Eve?

The two-day PeepsFest in Bethlehem, Pa., culminates with the "drop" of an 85-pound Peeps Chick on New Year's Eve.

The two-day PeepsFest in Bethlehem, Pa., culminates with the "drop" of an 85-pound Peeps Chick on New Year's Eve. (ArtsQuest)

Mary Forgione

The Peeps Chick will welcome in 2015 well ahead of the new year in Bethlehem, Pa.

You thought Peeps were just for Easter? Not in Bethlehem, Pa., where for the sixth year the big Peeps Chick will drop on New Year's Eve to welcome in 2015. Sort of.

The Chick stands in for the sticky marshmallow confections found in Easter baskets since the middle of the last century. Now it has become a bit of a winter holiday tradition too.

The drop is part of a two-day PeepsFest that features a display of zoo animals, a 5-kilometer run, live musicians, dogsled presentations and photo ops with a roving Peeps Chick. Most of the activities are free.

It's held at the SteelStacks, the former headquarters for what was once the largest steel manufacturer in the U.S., Bethlehem Steel. The space is now used as a performance and event location.

But back to the Big Chick. It weighs 85 pounds and stands about 4.5 feet tall. The Chick drop begins at 5:15 p.m. local time on New Year's Eve, and it will still be 2014 when the event ends.

It's early enough that folks will have time to drive 85 or so miles to Times Square in New York City for that New Year's celebration.

PeepsFest

Ryan Hulvat

The Peeps Chick, shown here at the end of a crane, falls at 5:15 p.m. local time on New Year's Eve in Bethlehem, Pa.

The Peeps Chick, shown here at the end of a crane, falls at 5:15 p.m. local time on New Year's Eve in Bethlehem, Pa. (Ryan Hulvat)